1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to support devices and more particularly to a support device for elevating the body and head of an individual to an inclined position for aligning the upper airway of the individual.
2. Background of the Invention
Positioning of an individual's body, head, arms and legs in a static position and for lengthy durations may be beneficial in order to promote comfort. The individual's body, head, arms and legs may require positioning at different elevations to configure the individual into a specific alignment for facilitating an internal and/or an external physical condition. More importantly the positioning of an individual's body, head, arms and legs may be required to insert a medical device into the individual or to administer a chemical or a psychological treatment to an individual.
Various types of support devices have been proposed by the prior art for supporting a portion of an individual. The following U.S. patents are examples of attempt of the prior art to solve these problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 305,761 to Sargent discloses an adjustable head rest for bedsteads and its supporting or carrying frame of a screw rod, screw nut, a shaft, links connecting the shaft and the headrest, gear wheels, and stationary rack bars.
U.S. Pat. No. 397,394 to Smedes discloses a divided embalming board and folding legs, pivoted to the main frame and adapted to be folded up within the frame, in combination with the folding divided side rails, hinged to the frame and provided with recesses and spring latches.
U.S. Pat. No. 812,240 to Schoettl discloses an operating table comprising the legs, side bars, table top hinged at one end and rack and pinion mechanism operable by a crank for raising and lowering the top from its other end. The top is normally set in between the side bars. The side bars and the top are independently composed of hinged sections in end to end relation with the pintles of the hinges in line with each other and about on a line with the transverse center of the table so that they may be together folded downwardly and also so that the top may be independently given the position of a double incline for certain operations and combined with foldable means adjacent to the center of the table for alter the tabletop has been raised to an incline position firmly supporting the hinged end section of the top in its inclined position while the other section of the top is being lowered at its outer end by the rack and pinion mechanism to create the double inclined. The foldable head and foot frames at the ends of the table and one, of which is carried by the free end of the top and means for adjusting the inclination of the frames.
U.S. Pat. No. 852,454 to Ryan discloses a head rest comprising a U-shaped frame. Pivoted members support the extremities of the frame. A toothed segment is integral with one of the pivoted members. A worm engages the segment. A lever is formed integral with the other of the pivoted members. A spring actuated a tension drum. Means connecting the extremity of the lever and the drum, and a sliding stop is adapted to lock the drum in position.
U.S. Pat. No. 933,811 to Worth discloses a head rest comprising a plate provided with a laterally disposed fixed pivot upon one face. An attaching means is upon the opposite face thereof. A swinging arm is mounted upon the pivot and provides a rest at its upper end. A spring has a coiled portion surrounding the pivot and is connected at one end to the arm intermediate its pivot and the rest and has its opposite end connected to a device supported by a member on the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 942,354 to Ryan discloses a head rest comprising a U-shaped frame. The side members of the frame are pivoted near the free ends thereof and the portions between the pivotal points. The free ends are bent to form short arm levers. Plates have depending flanges secured to the side rails of the bed. The flanges have curved slots in the lower sides thereof. The sides of the frame are pivoted to the depending flanges of the plates. A rod extends through the free ends of the side members and operating in the slots in the flanges. A tube surrounds the rod between the flanges. Means frictionally hold the frame in position. A spring attaches to the short arm levers and adapted to hold the head rest normally in raised position.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,005,916 to Wunning discloses a head rest for beds. A main head rest frame has side members provided with transverse cylindrical heads. Rack plates are adapted to be secured to the side rails of the bedstead and are provided with bearings for the heads. The heads are also provided at their outer ends with downwardly directed arm plates. The rack plates are provided with segmental racks. Locking dogs are mounted between the plates and the arm plates. The upper ends are provided with heads which pass outwardly through the arm plates. Springs are mounted between the lower end portions of the locking dogs and the arm plates. Rotary locking members are pivoted between the locking dogs and the arm plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,060,655 to Wood discloses a combination of a base, a support hinged to the base, an extensible member disposed between the base and support, a spring tending to extend the member. Means are operable by movement of the member adapted in a plurality of positions of the member to restrain its contraction and means for releasing the restraining means.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,274,020 to Ebbecke discloses an apparatus of the character specified including a main supporting frame angularly adjustable with relation to the plane of the support. A supporting element provides a body-rest mounted upon the supporting frame. An adjusting means extends from one end-portion of the supporting frame and is adapted to be slid beneath the corresponding end of the body-rest. An adjusting mechanism is connected with the adjusting means. The adjusting mechanism is movable in directions toward or away from the adjusting means. A head-rest is mounted upon the adjusting mechanism and is arranged so that the head-rest can be moved beneath the end-portion of the body-rest or may be moved in an upward direction above the end-portion of the body-rest and toward the body-rest so that a portion of the head-rest will extend over a portion of the body rest.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,331,041 to Anderson discloses a device of the character describing a collapsible support comprising a pair of upper rails, a pair of lower or base rails, and cross-braces between the diagonally opposite upper and lower rails having a hinged connection therewith permitting of a collapsing of the rails toward each other in both vertical and lateral directions and a laterally collapsible table mounted on the upper rails of the support for longitudinal tilting movement and being collapsible therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,336,294 to Hackman discloses a device of the character described comprising a rectangular angle iron base, a support pivotally connected at one end to the base. The support comprises an angle iron frame. Wood fillers are secured in the angle iron side members of the support. A sheet of flexible material are secured across the side members of the support. Perforated lugs are at the free ends of the side members of the support. A screw threaded rod is in the lugs. Guide rods are on the base. Sleeves are one the screw threaded rod and on the guide rods. A toggle lever connects the sleeves.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,866,397 to Clewley discloses a device of the character stated comprises a flat base is adapted to be set on a bed. A pan is designed to fit the trunk of a patient. Mechanical connections are between the pan adjacent its ends and the base and include means by which either or both ends of the pan may be raised and lowered at will. The pan is held at any angle to the base at which it is placed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,211,453 to Buttikofer discloses a unitary portable back supporting device separate from a bed frame adapted to be readily applied to beds. In combination a base member is adapted to be mounted on a bed frame. A back rest member is hinged at one end to the base member. An electric motor is mounted on one of said members. Means operatively connect the motor to the back rest to raise and lower it about the hinged end thereof. A pair of electric switches are mounted on the back rest and are operatively connected to the motor circuit. Switches are adapted automatically to stop the motor independently of objects external to the device when the back rest member has reached predetermined upper and lower positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,009 to Hagerty discloses an adjustable head rest attachment for creepers comprising an open U-shaped structure including a pair of spaced arms and a cross member providing a head rest connected to an end of each of the arms. A pair of brackets pivotally secure the opposite ends of the arms for rotation about a common access and are adopted for connection to the opposite side edges of the bed of a creeper with the arms movable in paths outwardly from the edges and with the cross member of movable in an arc from a down position at the bed to an elevated position over the bed, while leaving open and unobstructed the space between the cross member and the bed. Spring means urge the arms and head rest to an elevated position. Plate like portions provide at the last named ends of the arms are arranged in planes perpendicular to the axis for arcuate movement about the axis and are relative to the brackets. The plate-like portions are formed with openings therein are arranged in equally spaced relation to the axis. Pawls are mounted on the brackets for reciprocation parallel to the axis and into an out of engagement in the openings for holding the arms and head rest in selected elevated positions. Spring means urge the pause in to engage positions with the openings. The end of each of the pawls entering the openings are provided with a tapered face proportioned to engage a wall of the openings. A contiguous shoulder is formed to abut the opening to limit the engagement of the pawls in the openings to effect retraction of the pawls from the openings against the resistance of the last name spring means upon manual raising off the head rest. The plate-like portions are formed with openings for receiving the pawls in the down position of the head rest, and the last name openings being proportioned to pass therethrough the contiguous shoulder of the pawls to thereby provide an automatic locking of the head rest in the down position. Manually controlled means withdraw the pawls from the plate like portions to permit raising of the arms and head rest by the first named spring means.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,653 to Bien discloses a body rest apparatus having a base to be placed on a support surface and having a back rest actuable to different inclined positions relative to the base by a motor driven screw and nut mechanism located within the dihedral angle formed between the base and back rest elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,342 to Young discloses a portable, adjustable backrest for use primarily on a bed, sofa or the like which takes the form of a backrest panel which is hingedly connected to a base which is to be placed upon the bed, sofa or the like. The backrest panel is to be adjustable with respect to the base in various inclined positions. The adjustments of the backrest panel is provided through a crank arm assembly which operates through a disc assembly which in turn rolls upon a thin flexible strap assembly. An arm assembly is attached to the disc assembly which is to pivot with the disc assembly. The outer end of the arm assembly is to be in contact with the backside of the backrest panel. The pivoting of the arm assembly to different positions results in locating of the backrest panel to various inclined positions with respect to the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,732 to Liebman discloses a cardiac patient support comprises a flat base board of a size suitable for supporting a human patient and having an overlying torso supporting board pivotally associated with a bottom end area of the base board and extending angularly upwardly in relation to the latter, a transversely extending roller being mounted upon the base board in engagement with the under side of the torso supporting board and having operating means associated with said eccentric roller for adjustably turning the latter to urge the upper end of the torso supporting board upwardly and to lock said eccentric roller in an adjusted turned position. A handle is disclosed for turning the eccentric roller and a ratchet and pawl assembly is disclosed for locking the eccentric roller in an adjusted, turned position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,477 to Jacobsen discloses a bedding arrangement having a base for disposing on the surface of a bed and an adjustable back support with a frame pivotably mounted at the surface of the base enabling adjustment of the back support into various angular positions relative to the surface of the base. A board for supporting the back of a bed-ridden patient is pivotably mounted on the frame adjacent a head-resting portion of the latter. The board is upwardly pivotable in a direction opposite an upward pivotable movement of the frame whereby the patient assumes a recumbent position raised above the surface of the bed permitting unhindered introduction of a bed pot under the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,370 to Fickler discloses a device for adjusting the angular position of a movable support has two frames which are pivotally connected to each other along a pivot axis and are capable of being moved apart by the action of pretensioned torsion spring rods provided near the pivot axis so that the two frames assume variable angular positions with respect to each other. The movable support frame in its upwardly directed angular position may serve as a supporting surface for a mattress at the head end of a bed frame. To effect angular adjustment, two steel cables fastened to one frame are trained over pulleys disposed on the other frame and are guided to a pivot lever pivotably attached to the other frame and are actuated by an electric motor. As the motor is operative, the steel cables cause the frames to be pulled in one direction toward each other against the action of the torsion spring rods and the pneumatic springs. Reversing the direction of the motor will cause the frames to move away from each other due to the action of the torsion spring rods and pneumatic springs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,697 to Pithon discloses a surgical head support unit for an operating table or the like has a common support for a circular headrest which is vertically adjustable and can be tilted and a, handrest for the surgeon disposed outwardly and at least partly around the headrest. The handrest for the surgeon can be adjusted independently of the headrest as to level and tilt. The support is carried by a motor-driven pair of arms which form a parallelogrammatic linkage with the support.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,160 to Rizzardo discloses a portable three piece bed assembly is disclosed comprising a foldable spring deck adapted to be easily mounted on a frame assembly which further separates into two pieces to permit easy assembly, disassembly, and transportation of the bed assembly unit by a single individual wherein the unit comprises a body supporting assembly including a multiple-position, back-supporting member and multiple-position, leg and knee supporting members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,990 to Elder, et al. discloses a person-raising device, designed for lifting a person in bed, rests atop a bed and is activated by a linear actuator comprising a dual-threaded lead screw and a small electric motor and gear reduction unit. The small electric motor and gear reduction unit drives the dual-threaded lead screw to raise a pair of support arms, which raises a person resting on the device. The lead screw is enclosed in a slotted tube; this decreases the chance of the lead screw coming into contact with a person using the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,137 to Amrein, et al. discloses an improved head support stand used to smoothly and accuely position a patient's head when imaging the patient's upper spinal area. The improved stand includes a compound turnbuckle mounted between a base of the stand and a head cradle or face plate mounted to the base. The compound turnbuckle includes two rods threadingly engaged to a turnbuckle body so that the rods translate with respect to the body when it rotates. When the compound turnbuckle is in a fully retracted position, the rods are in a telescoped configuration within the turnbuckle body. When the compound turnbuckle is in a fully extended position, the rods are axially remote from each other and project substantially all the way out of the turnbuckle body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,428 to Carroll, et al. discloses a hospital bed, particularly suitable for home use comprises a plurality of sections which can be releasably connected together, and can be assembled for delivery and storage with head and foot sections, and head and foot boards stacked on a seat section. When thus assembled the bed can be put into a box and for ease of movement wheels project through the bottom of the box. The various sections and parts are releasably connected by pairs of brackets which clip together, the brackets held together by a clip which prevents disengagement. Power means are provided for raising the head section board and the foot section board. The bed has fixed legs which are provided with wheels. Movable legs can also be provided, extendable and retractable. When the movable legs are extended the fixed legs are raised, the wheels clear the floor. Power means are provided for moving the movable legs, and the movable legs, power means and associated parts can be removably mounted on the bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,031 to Alexander discloses a drive unit for an adjustable bed, comprising motor means and a clutch assembly comprising a toothed gear jack drive coupling, a toothed gear drive coupling and means for engaging and disengaging the jack drive coupling and the drive coupling, wherein the drive coupling is driven by the motor means and wherein the jack drive coupling, when engaged with the drive coupling by the clutch assembly, drives a controller shaft of the adjustable bed to raise or lower a section of the bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,150 to Palmer, Jr., et al. discloses a device for converting a flat bed into an adjustable bed. The system has a base which mounts on the bed's box-springs and an articulating platform sandwiched between the box-springs and the mattress head section. The articulating platform pivots about the pivoting end of base by inflating bellows. The controls provide for adjustable firmness, degree and speed of pivoting, and delay for the start of the deflating of bellows for lowering articulating platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,876 to Haigh, et al. discloses a device for adapting a surgical operating table such that the upper torso of the patient can be raised in order to place the patient in a seated position, the device further providing the means of exposing or supporting a side of said patient's upper torso and limbs. The device contains a continuously adjustable positioning mechanism, and corresponding actuator for said mechanism, in a way that a user can rapidly and conveniently put a patient in the desired position, from a supine posture to a fully seated position. Additionally, the device does not render the surgical table permanently modified, as the process of modification is reversible by means of a simple attachment mechanism. The device uses a back support section hingedly connected to a base frame, this base frame providing the attachment support to the surgical table. Side support panels are either moved out of the way on the patient's operative side, or left in place to provide support to the unaffected side. Two embodiments are described that differ solely in the way the back support surface is implemented.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,008 to Siepmann, et al. discloses a medical examination table is adapted to receive at least one two-way drawer assembly with a removable locking mechanism and an articulating backrest. The backrest is controlled by a linear actuator and can be adjusted to any desired position. The backrest requires a relatively small amount of space in the table, and therefore, storage capacity of the table is maximized.
Although the aforementioned prior art have contributed to the development of the art of support devices, none of these prior art patents have solved the needs of this art.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved support device for positioning an individual in an inclined orientation.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved support device that may be positioned directly on bedding.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved support device that may both alter the inclination the back of the individual and alter the elevation of the head of the individual.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved support device that may support the arms of the individual at various angles to the body.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved support device that is portable and independent of external power sources.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved support device that aligns the axes of the upper airway for facilitating endotracheal intubation.
Another object of this invention is to decrease the work of the breathing of an obese individual.
Another object of this invention is to decrease transpulmonary shunting, hypoventilation and risk of hypoxia.
Another object of this invention is to decrease the degree of airway obstruction in those with obstructive sleep apnea.
Another object of this invention is to improve manual mask ventilation and the success of laryngeal mask airways.
Another object of this invention is to increase the safe apnea period after induction of anesthesia.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.